1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a headset for making EEG (electroencephalogram) measurements of a subject.
2. Discussion of the Background
It is often desirable to take EEG measurements of a subject to determine the brain activity of the subject. There are many medical applications that require testing and measuring of EEG signals to determine a subject's medical condition. There are also instances in which it is desirable to test or measure a subject's brain activity for other purposes.
One such other purpose is to test a subject's brain activity to measure the subject's interest to certain stimuli. For example, it is desirable to be able to test a subject's attention level to a particular marketing idea, television advertisement, or other promotional tool. Such testing is currently performed by attaching sensors to a subject through a foam sponge wetted with a saline solution to be conductive. These sensors can be attached to a headset.
One problem associated with testing a number of subjects using a headset with such wetted sensors is the problem of maintaining sanitary conditions for the test subjects, and also being able to maintain sanitary conditions in a time efficient manner. This problem is particularly important when the sensor is used in commercial contexts since it may be important to test as many subjects as possible. Another problem associated with testing a number of subjects is that it is expensive to use a headset for one individual and then discard it for sanitary considerations. Many of these problems arise from utilizing a wetting agent for the sensors to be conductive and detect brain activity. In these ways, the use of a wetting agent is time consuming and unsanitary if the headset is used by more than one subject.